Abstract
Most diagnosticians set a premium on access to high-quality gross images. They use them for continuing education talks to veterinarians, students, trainees, and producers. Several excellent sources already exist. A bonus to owning current editions of both major North American, English-language veterinary pathology texts (Maxie: Pathology of Domestic Animals; Zachary and McGavin: Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease) is that they allow readers to download high-quality gross and microscopic images.
There are others. The Yahoo PIGI web site, established by pathology trainees, provides a steady stream throughout each year of new gross images in a 10-slide PowerPoint format, generally accompanied by ACVP examination-type multiple choice questions—a reasonable fraction of the images deal with cattle. Noah’s Arkive, through the Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation, incorporates Dr. John King’s image collection—access is now free (https://noahsarkive.cldavis.org/cgi-bin/show_image_info_page.cgi). Several veterinary colleges, notably Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have a free online searchable database of gross images, most of high quality.
The text under review provides another 1,000 images of lesions in cattle. It is edited by 3 respected veterinary pathologists, all based in North America. The editors have contributions from another 7 pathologists in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Most images are of gross lesions. There are some histologic images (H&E and immunohistochemistry), several diagrams, and no electron micrographs. The 10 pathologists draw heavily on their experience with natural disease in beef and dairy cattle. Additional images are from pathologists in Australia, New Zealand, and western Europe.
The book is organized largely by organ system into 17 chapters. A chapter on toxic plants is illustrated by plant and major organ lesion. Another chapter summarizes bovine diseases that lack gross lesions and is illustrated largely by clinical images. Each chapter has text, with a paragraph or so allocated to each major disease. There is a reference section at the end of each chapter, typically 10–15 current or classical citations. I saw little that is controversial. The editors’ and contributors’ practical experience with food animal pathology shines through. Important diseases are illustrated by 5–7 images. There are short, boxed fact sheets for particular disease syndromes, and a reliable 14-page index.
One advantage of the book is that it provides online access to all of the images. Unfortunately, their resolution is modest (700–900 K), yet they should suffice for teaching. It is particularly good to have access to some of Dr. Clark’s images, although many are also available (generally at higher resolution) in a CD offered through the CL Davis DVM Foundation.
Readers should have few complaints. There is considerable unused white space on many pages. Some images are noticeably compressed top-to-bottom. There is inevitable variability in the quality of images, particularly those derived from 2 × 2 transparencies, resulting in muddy colors.
All in all, a working book to have in the laboratory. I am averse to color atlases of disease—they tend to represent the image archive of someone who cannot bear to throw it away. In this case, the authors tried hard, and largely successfully, to strike a balance with all of the major diseases one is likely to see on the autopsy floor. The list price is $205. Several online vendors sell new copies for as little as $130.54 (incl. delivery).